Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
I 1 67633
This invention relates to a telescopic gunsight
mounting assembly which is adapted for securing a scope to
a pistol. More particularly, the mounting assembly of this
invention is of the clamping type which includes a portion
which clamps onto the pistol barrel or pistol frame.
The utility of a pistol for target shooting or hunting
can be greatly enhanced when the pistol is fitted with a
telescopic gunsight. The relatively small size of a pistol,
however, complicates the problem of fitting it with a scope
mount system. Some models of Ruger and Colt handguns are
provided at the factory with a single tapped hole at the
rear of the top strap, which hole is used for mounting a
rear iron sight on the pistol. These manufacturers do not
recommend the drilling and tapping of additional holes in
the frame or barrel of the pistol because of the real possi-
bility of damaging or rendering the pistol unsafe. Thus,
with such ~andguns, the only viable way to secure a scope to
the pistol is by clamping the mount assembly to the pistol
frame or barrel.
A number of scope mounting assemblies have been devised
which utilize a clamp or clamp-like member to provide secure-
ment of the mount to the firearm. ~hese mounting assemblies
generally have in common the use of a threaded bolt which is
used to tighten the clamp, with the bolt axis being generally
parallel to the tightening and loosening direction of the
clamp. These mounts are generally cumbersome, unattractive,
and of relatively complicated construction. Illustrative of
prior art scope mounting systems utilizing clamping means of
one sort or another are the systems shown in U.S. Patents
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Nos. 660,361 to C. Candrian (1900);`1,009,282 to L. H. Cobb;
2,426,812 to P. G. Bennett; 3,172,941 to J. B. Norman;
3,235,967 to R. J. Moure et al; 3,260,001 to W. R. Weaver;
3,292,264 to L. T. Kincannon; and 3,405,448 to R. E.
Weatherby.
The scope mount assembly of this invention ir.cludes a base
member which is secured to the breechward end of the pistol
by means of a screw which is threaded into the factory
tapped hole provided at the breechward end of the top strap
of the pistol. A base key member is provided which is re-
ceived in the rear sight slot of the pistol and is secured
to the pistol by the breechward screw referred to above.
The key operates to lock the base against lateral movement,
and the key, or the rear of the cylinder frame may be used
as a recoil pad for the scope and mount assembly. At the
muzzleward end of the base there is secured to the base by
means of a threaded bolt, an open bottom clamp. The clamp
is contoured to fit about the barrel or frame, as the case
may be. The threaded bolt is journaled in the base and
threaded into the clamp so that when the bolt is tightened,
the clamp is pulled tightly against the underside ~f the
base, or an additional plate member butted thereagainst.
The underside of the base, or the plate member, as the case
may be, is provided with laterally opposed pressure sur-
faces which bear against complimentary surfaces on the clamp.
The mid portion of the underside of the base is spaced apart
from the corresponding mid portion of the clamp so that, as
the bolt is tightened, the clamp is pulled tightly against
the base whereby the pressure surfaces bearing on the
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clamp's complimentary surfaces cause the clamp to be de-
formed radially inwardly thereby exerting a clamping force
on the frame or barrel of the pistol, as the case may be.
The inherent springiness of the material from which the
clamp is made, such as steel, results in radially outward
deflection of the clamp when the bolt is loosened.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to pro-
vide an improved telescopic gunsight mounting assembly
which is particularly suited for securement to a handgun.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a
scope mounting assembly of the character described which
comprises a clamping member adapted to be clamped to the
frame or barrel portion of the handgun.
It is an additional object of this invention to pro-
vide a scope mounting assembly of the character described which
is of simplified construction which ensures a positive
clamping engagement with the handgun when mounted thereon.
In accordance with a particular embodiment of the
invention there is provided a mount assembly for securing an
optical gunsight to a handgun. The assembly includes a base
member for overlying the handgun, and means for securing a
breechward end of the base member to the handgun. A clasp
member secures a muzzleward end of the base member to the
handgun, and adjustable tightening means connect the base
member to the clamp member. The tightening means are operable
to draw the clamp member tightly against the base member to
cause the clamp member to tightly clampingly engage a frame or
barrel portion of the handgun.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the
invention there is provided a mount assembly for securing an
optical gunsight to a handgun. The assembly includes an
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elongated base member adapted to receive gunsight - engaging
ring and saddle members and means for securing a breechward
end of the base member to the handgun. Also provided is a
clamp member having lateral clamping legs arranged to be
deflected toward each other to clampingly engage a frame or
barrel portion of the handgun. Pressure means engage the
clamp member for causing clamping deflection of the clamping
legs when the clamp is drawn tightly against the pressure
means. Adjustable tightening means are provided for drawing
the clamp member tightly against the pressure means in a
direction perpendicular to the direction of the deflection of
the clamping legs.
In a further embodiment there is provided a mount
assembly for securing an optical gunsight to a handgun. The
assembly includes a base member for overlying an upper surface
on the handgun, and means for securing the breechward end of
the base member to the handgun. Also provided are a clamp
member having lateral clamping-legs arranged to be deflected
toward each other to clampingly engage a frame or barrel por-
tion of the handgun. The clamp member also includes abridge portion extending between the clamping legs and under-
lying the base member. Pressure means overlie the clamp
member and engage opposite side portions of the clamp member
above the clamping legs. Adjustable tightening means engage
the base member and the clamp member for drawing the clamp
member toward the base member to cause the pressure means to
deflect the clamping legs toward each other.
These and other objects and advantages of the
invention will become more readily apparent from the following
detailed description of several preferred embodiments thereof
when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in
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which:
FIGURE 1 is a fragmented side elevational view,
partially in section, of a portion of a pistol showing a
preferred embodiment of a scope base and clamp mounted thereon,
the clamp being secured to the pistol barrel;
FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view of the device
shown in FIGURE 1 taken from the breech end of the pistol
and looking toward the muzzle end thereof, the scope rings
also being shown;
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FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the clamp part of the
mount taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE l;
FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the clamp part of the
mount assembly of FIGURE l;
FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of a second em-
bodiment of a scope mount assembly made in accordance with
this invention and mounted on a pistol, shown fragmented,
the clamp part of this embodiment being secured to the
frame of the pistol;
FIGURE 6 is a sectional view of the clamp part taken
along line 6-6 of FIGURE 5; and
FIGURE 7 is a sectional view, similar to FIGURE 6
showing a modified assemblage for actuating the clamp.
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in
FIGURE 1 the pertinent portion of a pistol, denoted gener-
ally by the numeral 2, upon which a telescopic gun sight
is mounted. The pistol 2 includes a barrel 4, a frame 6, a
revolving cylinder 8 mounted in the frame 6, and a hammer
10 at the breech end of the pistol 2. The frame 6 includes
an upper portion 12 which is referred to in the trade as the
top strap. The top strap 12 has a tapped hole 14 at its
breechward end, which hole 14 is provided by the factory
and is a standard feature for use in securing a rear iron
sight to the pistol 2. The hole 14 is located in the
bottom of a slot 16 which, again, is a standard factory
feature.
The mount assembly includes a base 18 which has
V-shaped lateral sides 20, the base 18 serving to clampingly
receive the saddle and rings subassemblies 22 which, in turn,
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hold the scope (see FIGURE 2). Lateral slots 24 are formed
in the upper surface of the base 18 for reception of locking
bolts on the saddle and ring subassemblies 22, which resist
recoil forces imposed on the scope when the pistol is fired.
A key block 26 is positioned in the slot 16, the key block
26 having a hole 28 extending through it in alignment with
the tapped hole 14. The base 18 has a corresponding hole
30 extending through it in alignment with the key block hole
28 and the tapped hole 14. A bolt 32 having its distal end
threaded extends through the aligned holes 28 and 30 and is
screwed into tapped hole 14 so as to secure the breechward
end of the base 18 to the top strap 12 of the pistol 2.
The muzzleward end of the base 18 is secured to the
barrel 4 of the pistol 2 in the following manner, which will
be clarified by reference to FIGURES 3 and 4. The clamp
34 is generally C-shaped and includes two-side clamping legs
36 and 38, the leg 38 being shortened to clear the ejector
housing on the pistol. It will be noted that the clamping
legs 36 and 38 are adjacent to the sides of the barrel 4, and
the clamp 34 further includes a bridge portion 40 extending
over the top of the barrel 4. The bridge 40 is provided with
a threaded opening 42 extending therethrough, and a slot 43
(see FIGURE 4) to facilitate bending of the bridge 40. Ex-
tending axially along the sides of the bridge 40 are a pair
of recessed steps 44 and 46 against which are seated protrud-
ing side flanges 48 and 50 formed on the underside of the
base l8. The flanges 48 and 50 depend downwardly from the
underside of the base 18 a distance which is large enough to
ensure that a gap exists between the bottom surface 52 of the
base 18 and the top surface 54 of the bridge 40 when the
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flanges 48 and 50 are in contact with the steps 46 and 44 re-
spectively. The base 18 is provided with a through hole 56
through which extends a threaded bolt 58, which bolt 58 is
threaded into the threaded opening 42 in the clamp 34. The
bolt 58 has an enlarged head 60 which bears against a radial
shoulder 62 in the through hole 56 in the base 18.
The mount assembly is attached to the pistol 2 as
follows: The base 18 and loosely-attached clamp 34 are slid
over the muzzle end of the pistol 2 with the clamp 34 being
upside down so as to clear the front sight of the pistol 2.
The assembly is then righted and the key bloc~ 26 is placed
in the slot 16 whereupon the holes 14, 28 and 30 are aligned.
The bolt 32 is then inserted and tightened down to secure
the breechward end of the base 18 to the pistGl 2. The front
bolt 58 is then tightened. This tightening causes the clamp
34 to be drawn up tightly against the underside of the base
18. When the clamp 34 is then drawn tightly against the base
18, the flanges 48 and 50 press down on the respective re-
cessed steps 46 and 44. Since the gap between the lower
surface 52 of the base 18 and the upper surface 54 of the
clamp bridge 40 remains unclosed, as the bolt 58 is tightened,
- pressure on the steps 46 and 44 causes bending of the bridge
40 due to the slot 43, resulting in inward deflection of the
legs 36 and 38 whereby the legs 36 and 38 tightly grip the
sides of the barrel 4. In this manner, the muzzleward end
of the base 18 is secured to the pistol 2. Total securement
of the base 18 to the pistol 2 is thus established. The
scope (not shown) may now be attached to and detached from
the fixed base 18 by means of the ring clamps 22.
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Referring now to FIGURES S and 6, there is shown a
modified embodiment of the mounting assembly of this inven-
tion which is adapted to be clamped to the frame of a pistol
2. In referring to the embodiments of FIGURES 5, 6 and 7,
comparable parts of the mounting assembly will be identified
by the same reference numbers as previously used above. The
pistol 2 includes a barrel 4, a frame 6, a cylinder 8, and a
hammer 10. At the breechward end of the top strap 12 there
is disposed a slot 16 and in the bottom of the slot 16 there
is a tapped hole 14. The base 18 is secured to the pistol 2
by means of a threaded bolt 32 at the breechward end of the
base 18, and by means of a clamp 34 at the muzzleward end.
It will be noted that the clamp 34 grips the frame 6 rather
than the barrel 4 in the embodiments of FIGURES 5-7.
Referring to FIGURE 6, it will be noted that the clamp
34 is formed with opposing legs 36 and 38 and an intermediate
bridge portion 40. The upper surface of the bridge 40 is
generally concave or channelled and includes opposed outer
upwardly and outwardly extending surfaces 64 and 66 and a
central lateralIy extending flat.portion 68. A threaded
aperture 42 extends through the bridge 40, and a slot 43 is
cut into the top surface of the bridge 40. The base 18 is
formed with the V-shaped lateral sides 20 with the lowermost
surface 21 of each side 20 engaging the surfaces 64 and 66 of
the clamp 34. It will be noted that a slightly different
angle of taper is found on the abutting surfaces 21 and 64
and 66 so that actual contact therebetween is established
at the outermost part of the surfaces 64 and 66. It will be
noted that a gap is maintained between the upper surface 68
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of the bridge 40 and the lower surface 70 of the base 18. A
tightening bolt 58 is threaded into the threaded aperture 42
so that when the bolt 58 is tightened into the aperture 42,
engagement between the threads, and between the bolt head 60
and countersink 72 in the base 18 causes the base 18 and
clamp 34 to be drawn tightly together. This results in in-
creased pressure at the contact area between the surfaces 21
and surfaces 64 and 66 and results in bending of the bridge
40 due to the slot 43, whereby the legs 36 and 38 are drawn
inwardly into tight gripping contact with the frame 6.
Reference is now made to FIGURE 7, which is a modified
form of the clamping structure shown in FIGURE 3, but wherein
the clamp 34 i3 adapted to grip the frame 6 of the pistol
rather than the barrel. In the embodiment of FIGURE 7 a
fulcrum plat 74 is interposed between the base 18 and the
clamp 34 so that when the bolt 58 is tightened, the fulcrum
plate 74 imparts the gripping pressure to the clamp 34.
It will be readily appreciated tha the scope mount
assembly of this invention is of relatively simple construc-
tion and can be used to firmly secure a pistol scope to apistol. The existing rear sight mount hole and slot are used
in conjunction with a positively gripping clamp for the pis-
tol frame or barrel. No additional drilling or tapping of
the pistol need be performed to secure the mount.
Since many changes and variations of the disclosed em-
bodiments of the invention may be made wlthout departing
from the inventive concept, it is not intended to limit the
invention otherwise than as required by the appended claims.
